Premiership round-up
LLANDOVERY hit bottom side Neath for six at Church Bank on their way to a 38-7 win that took them back to the summit in the Indigo Premiership.
The Drovers were 21-0 up by the break thanks to tries by Jordan Evans, Bertain Watkins and Joe Powell. Jack Maynard improved Evans and Powell’s tries.
Ryan Evans replied for Neath in the second half, converted by Steff Williams, but that was as good as it got for the Welsh All Blacks.
Llandovery soon secured maximum points through Macs Page’ try, with Maynard again adding the extras.
Evans grabbed his second before GabeMc-Donald added some more gloss to the scoreline.
A sixth win from seven takes Llandovery back above Ebbw Vale who, despite making it six on the bounce, were made to work hard for their narrow 18-16 win over Bridgend.
Steelmen skipper Rhys Francis got his side off to a good start with a try – it was the hooker’s sixth of the season so far.
Luke Price and Evan Lloyd swapped penalties but two more Price efforts from the tee had the Ravens with their noses in front by a point at the turnaround.
That lead extended to 16-8 shortly after the restart when good work from Jack Pope put Jordan Collier over for a try which Price improved.
It meant Ebbw were in danger of losing at home for the first time this campaign, but they dug in and, after Lloyd had kicked his second penalty, they snatched four points thanks to a late penalty try.
An injury-time try by Samoan centre Amosa Nove secured a dramatic 16-9 victory for Pontypool over Cardiff.
Nove charged down an attempted clearance by Blue and Blacks fly-half Harrison James to claim the only touchdown of a dreary affair at the Arms Park.
Cardiff thought they had snatched the draw when James sent over his third penalty to bring the teams level at 9-9 in the final minute of normal time – before Nove’s intervention from nowhere, seconds after the restart also made it six straight wins for Pooler.
Matthew Jarvis matched James from the tee and added the extras to Nove’s try.
Newport made it three on the bounce with another bonus-point win as Ty Morris’ side saw off Merthyr 29-21 at Newport Stadium.
It’s also now five wins from six for the fourth placed Black and Ambers who sit well placed four points off the summit with a game in hand on all of the top three.
They were ahead through captain Ben Roach’s try in the second minute which was followed by a try for Chay Foster-Smith.
Lloyd Lewis also scored in the first half for Newport – his sixth of the campaign – with two Jac Lloyd penalties seeing them 21-14 ahead at the break.
A penalty try and Ben Jones, converted by Josh Lewis, replied for Merthyr.
Wade Langley bagged Newport their bonus point fourth try on 63 minutes and, although the visitors came back at them through a Travis Hawkins try which Lewis converted to move Merthyr back to within touching distance, Carwyn Penny came off the bench to kick a late penalty as Newport held on.
There was a thrilling contest at Stadiwm
CSM where RGC led 19-0 against Aberavon, then fell behind twice as the Wizards came back, before running out eventual 33-28 victors.
It was another fast start from the Gogs who seized the initiative thanks to tries from Pedr Jones, unconverted, and then Delwyn Jones and Ethan Fackrell – with SamEarl-Jones adding the extras to both.
The Wizards replied through Cam Lewis before the break, converted by James Davies, and then two more quickfire converted tries from Stef Andrews and Luke Davies after the break edged them two points in front.
Delwyn Jones was then over for his second try of the match, which was converted, but back came Aberavon again to go back through a Rhys Thomas try converted by Davies and into the lead 28-26.
With the game on a knife edge, RGC captain Afon Bagshaw – having earlier been yellow carded – made yards before Matt Buchanan finished off with Earl-Jones again converting.
Elsewhere tries from Harri Houston, Joe Thomas, Brandon Wood and Lloyd Evans set Swansea on their way to a 25-18 win at Carmarthen Quins.
